FCM’s Green Municipal Fund supports the development of a district energy system for the City of Saint John

16-Mar-2011

Hans Cunningham, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and director of the Regional District of Central Kootenay, B.C., and Rodney Weston, Member of Parliament for Saint John, today announced a Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) grant for the City of Saint John. The city put the $144,000 in funding toward a study on developing a district energy system.

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said Cunningham. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

“The Government of Canada is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said Mr. Weston. “Today’s announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with FCM — is helping Saint John build a greener future for our citizens.”

The City of Saint John is developing a district energy system for the uptown and waterfront areas. The city is working to reduce operating costs by increasing energy efficiency and finding renewable sources of energy. With investment and large scale development slated for the uptown and waterfront, the use of renewable energy as a green heating utility is a sustainable way to mitigate the effects of growth.

The feasibility study will identify appropriate buildings in the uptown area for the district energy system. It will identify potential sources of energy to heat the buildings, including raw sewage heat recovery, waste heating from buildings, industrial waste and the Saint John Harbour itself. The study will also evaluate the financial and technical viability of each energy source, as well as the economic and social benefits to the community.

“The City of Saint John appreciates the support of the Green Municipal Fund for our sustainable initiative,” said Mayor Ivan Court. “Our city is working to decrease its reliance on non-renewable sources of energy through this project, which will support green buildings throughout our city’s core.”

The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal FundÔ. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

Media Inquiries

Corporate Communications City of Saint John 11th floor, City Hall (506) 649-6008saintjohn.ca